In this shocking memoir from a former corrections officer Gary Heyward shares an eye opening gritty and devastating account of his descent into criminal life smuggling contraband inside the infamous Rikers Island jails Gary Heywards life changed forever when he received a letter from the New York City Department of Corrections announcing he was accepted into the academy for new recruits For the Harlem born ex Marine being an officer of the law was the ticket hed been waiting for to move up from a low wage security job and out of the Polo Ground Projects in New York Cityand take his mother with him Heyward was warned of the temptations hed encounter as a new officer but when faced with financial hardship he suddenly found himself unable to resist the income generated from selling contraband to inmates In his distinctive voice Heyward takes you on a journey inside the walls of Rikers Island showing how he teamed up with various inmates and other officers to develop a system that allowed him to profit from selling drugs inside the jail Corruption Officer is a jarring expos of a man having lived on both sides of the law a rare insiders look at a corrupt city jail and a testament to the lengths well go when our backs are against the wall